I'm really only anxious about McFadden, Madison, and Fox. If we sign anyone else, it better be at a reasonable number. They don't get the Super Bowl bump. Every other guy is expendable. Fox and Madison solidified the special teams coverage (and they won't take all that much to sign), and McFadden is solid.

Yeah, I shoulda mentioned Foxy too. I was more focused on starting/key backup position personnel, but STs definitely shouldn't be overlooked. IMO, safe to say though that Madison and Fox will be back if Pittsburgh wants 'em back (as they should) because I don't see them getting any real FA attention.

funniest thing about our seats was we were sitting near a lot of families and on the way out we realized our seats were about 12 rows in front of the Bergers....i thought that was a good sign of how the Steelers feel about him. I laughed for about 5 mins...

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"If you make every game a life and death proposition, you're going to have problems. For one thing, you'll be dead a lot."

I see all of the RFAs getting tendered, most likely mid-lower tier. Anthony Smith gets the lowest of them all. He played very sparingly and when he did, he was not very effective.

I see both Starks and Mcfads going for greener pastures. and by green i mean $. Think the depth at CB is enough to let him test the market. Starks is a starting LT on a super bowl winning team and will command some very good interest from alot of other teams. M.Smith will also get some interest from teams not named the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Is ward scheduled to receive an 8 figure salary next year? i want to think that he is and would most likely have to reduce that towards a more cap friendly deal. I want him to finish his career in the black n gold.

All in all the outlook is very good for 2009. Winning the super bowl is a giant boost towards getting some DECENT FAs. Ben will have a very similar year numbers wise as he did in 2007. Im thinking the confidence from this super bowl run will bring 40 TDs in 09.

tweak that OL to a more balanced set of guys that can both pass/run block effectively and the sky is the limit

Starks is a starting LT on a super bowl winning team and will command some very good interest from alot of other teams. M.Smith will also get some interest from teams not named the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I'm just not seeing that, especially for Smith. Everyone knows that we won in spite of our offensive line, not because of them, so I'm not sure that Starks is going to get offered anything special. A lot of teams saw Suggs run around him to sack Ben in the AFCC. Is that the kind of guy you want to pay the big bucks for?

On the other hand, as you point out, being a LT on the SB champions could easily entice someone to overpay.

I think Smith retires; or signs for a very lowball, incentive-based offer. I don't see any team paying him serious money, considering his recent injuries and declining play.

I also think we'll lose McFadden and Starks. Someone will pay them way more than they're worth. Starks isn't that great, it's true, but he has unique size and I think would be a good RT and there are some teams out there that need one.

I wish we could keep McFadden but I don't see it happening. Hope he doesn't become a Raven or a Brown.

Gut feeling is that Nate Washington will stay and not cost that much. I think this would be a good thing, considering that we never know how much Hines has left in the tank. If we lost Washington and Hines was hurt or less effective, our receiving corps would be in serious trouble. In fact, even with Nate, I think we need to sign a cheap veteran WR, maybe someone of Cedrick Wilson caliber, this offseason.

I'd love to see us sign a quality free agent G and draft an OT in round 1. I think those two moves would go a long way to solidifying the line. Of course, we should draft O-linemen later in the draft, too. But I think we'll need to a NT and a CB in rounds 2 and 3 and maybe a WR/KR in round 4. I wouldn't object to us finding a FB in this draft, too.

I think we need to sign a cheap veteran WR, maybe someone of Cedrick Wilson caliber, this offseason.

I just threw up in mouth.

The Steeler receiver corps will not get a lot of attention. I think they'll use a 4th or 5th round pick on a speed guy, and if they pick up someone in free agency, hopefully it's someone better than Ced. IMO, there are just too many other areas of the team to get shored up first. The o-line, corner, DE, FB canstitutes at least 6 or 7 of our "prime acquisitions", meaning, early draft picks and "big time" free agents. That means Sweed, Holmes and Hines are the primary receivers at the start of camp, and, if Washington is willing to sign cheap, he'll have a shot to fight Sweed for the third spot, but I doubt they'll be willing to spend a lot on him. There are just too many players with his skill set out there who don't have the Super Bowl salary bump delusions.

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"Fanatics are picturesque. Mankind would rather see gestures than listen to reason." - Friederich Nietzsche

That means Sweed, Holmes and Hines are the primary receivers at the start of camp, and, if Washington is willing to sign cheap, he'll have a shot to fight Sweed for the third spot, but I doubt they'll be willing to spend a lot on him. There are just too many players with his skill set out there who don't have the Super Bowl salary bump delusions.

There is NO way Sweed should start camp as the 3rd receiver. The 3rd receiver plays about 70-80% of the snaps in BA's offense. Sweed had as many catches as he had penalties and drops combined last year. No one is going to pay Nate, and I bet he comes back with a reasonable contract as he should. If he does come back, it wont be much of a fight with Sweed, as Nate knows way more about the routes, the offense, and Ben's tendencies.

I think they should draft a Day 2 speed guy, for KO's, and resing Nate. Sweed needs another year methinks. They just won the SB with SH, Hines, and Nate, so IMO, they will be fine next year with the same guys. If Sweed magically improves, rotate him in more often, but I don't see it happening next year. Obviously, if Nate gets a big offer, or demands big money, seeya...Then its on to Plan B, but I just think the Steelers will tender Nate a decent, but relatively low offer which won't get improved on by another team, and he will come back. And I hope he does, the guy came up BIG on the Dallas drive and the huge Division clinching drive in Balty.